Phoenix Rising
by The Fifth Marauder Is Me
Summary: War left Juniper Potter betrayed by those she trusted as shocking truths came to light. With no one else left to turn to, what can June do but go back to rewrite her destiny? She goes back to 1945 to make sure the future doesn't become the nightmare it is now, but what she doesn't expect is to find a friend in Tom Riddle and become his saviour. Disclaimer! I don't own HP. Fem!Harry
1. Chapter 1: Resolutions and Departures

**Chapter 1: Resolutions and Hasty Departures**

Juniper Potter, saviour of the wizarding world, the girl who lived, Lady of the Most Noble and Ancient Houses of Potter and Black, and various other titles was yet again sitting in the Potter Vault, looking through her parent's belongings. Her silk cloak, the same emerald as her eyes, pooled around her as she sat on the floor, shifting through the items carefully and handling them as if they were gems.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something that caught her attention. It was a photo. Picking it up she observed the two teenage figures that smiled up at her - well one did anyway. The other was wearing a characteristic scowl and seemed to be glaring at the photographer with black eyes that greatly resembled dark, bottomless pits. Those were the eyes of Severus Snape. Juniper and Snape had never had too close a relationship. In fact Snape could always be found sneering at her, and she could always be found retorting to his comment with her mother's sharp tongue, which often led to detention.

However, the night he died, Severus had given her his memories. His last words were 'You have your mother's eyes'. Juniper had heard this many times before, but from her old nemesis it meant more. He hadn't just been describing her appearance; it was an explanation and an apology. By the end of those memories two things were apparent; firstly, Severus Snape was the bravest man she knew and secondly, she was little more than a pawn to Dumbledore.

But that was about to change. Juniper swore to herself in that moment that she would never be used again, nor would she do what she was expected from her. She would rise from the ashes that the war reduced her to. Just like a phoenix.

"Disciplinary hearing of the eleventh of September, into offences committed by Antonin Dolohov including 43 counts of murder...

June blocked out the deep baritone of Kingsley Shacklebolt, who had become Minister after the war. This was the 14th trial in which she had stood as a witness and there were still dozens of Death Eaters awaiting their sentences. The war. It had ripped away everything she held dear – her parents, her friends and... her fiancé.

_**June glanced around wildly and her blood ran cold: the Death Eaters had penetrated Hogwarts. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fred and Percy duelling a masked man each. She ran forwards to help, seemingly oblivious to the jets of light flying around her, creating a beautifully catastrophic picture of colour. Percy sent another hex to his opponent, who's hood fell back, revealing a very familiar face. "Hello Minister!" Percy shouted, hitting the 'Minister' with a hex "Did I mention I'm resigning?"**__**  
**__**"You're joking Perce!" Fred yelled, after finally defeating his opponent with three stunners shot in quick succession. Thicknesse had fallen to the ground by now and June raced towards the two gingers, less than 5 metres away. Fred looked at Percy with glee.**____**  
**__**"You are actually**____**are**____**joking ... I don't think I have heard you joke since you were-"**__**  
**__**The air exploded. They had been grouped together, June, Fred and Percy, the two Death Eaters at their feet, and Ron and Hermione just about to reach them: in that fragment of a moment, when danger seemed temporarily at bay, the world was torn apart. June felt herself flying through the air and all she could do was hang on as tightly as she could to that thin stick of wood that was her one and only weapon, and shield her head in his arms: she heard the screams and yells of her companions without a hope of knowing what had happened to them-**__**  
**__**and then the world resolved itself into pain and semi-darkness: She was half buried in the wreckage of a corridor that had been subjected to a terrible attack. Cold air told her that the side of the castle had been blown away, and hot stickiness on her cheek told her that he was bleeding copiously. Then she heard a terrible cry that pulled at her insides, that expressed agony of a kind neither flame nor curse could cause, and she stood up, swaying, more frightened than she had been that day, more frightened, perhaps, than she had been in her life...**____**  
**__**And Hermione was struggling to her feet in the wreckage, and three redheaded men were grouped on the ground where the wall had blasted apart. June grabbed Hermione's hand as they staggered and stumbled over stone and wood.**____**  
**_

_**"No no no!" someone was shouting. "No! Fred! No!" And Percy was shaking his brother, and Ron was kneeling beside them, and Fred's eyes stared without seeing, the ghost of his last laugh still etched upon his face.**_

_**June let out a scream. Her heart seemed to fail and fell to the floor with heart wrenching sobs, clutching his broken body. "No! You can't do this to me! We were going to get married remember? Please! I love you! I love you, I love you so much..." In that moment, she knew it would have to end, and she would be the one to end it.**_

June took a deep breath and managed to compose herself in time to hear: "... the Wizengamot finds Antonin Dolohov guilty of all charges. He is sentenced to life in Azkaban."

A few days later, June was walking into Gringotts, with Draco Malfoy walking alongside her. Now if anybody had told her 7 years ago that Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince and her deadly nemesis, would one day become one of her closest and most trusted friends, she would have laughed in their faces and recommended a trip to St Mungo's. But now they knew each other better than they knew themselves. They were complete opposites, one fair and one dark, one a Slytherin the other a Gryffindor, but inside they were both the same. Forced to take part in a war they wanted no part in.

"Are you sure you want to go ahead with this?" Draco asked almost cautiously, the way one might a frightened animal.

"Of course. This could change everything! If this works, the war won't even happen" June replied heatedly, running a hand through her obsidian, waist length locks. Her eyes flashed dangerously and Draco knew he was on thin ice.

"I just want you to be safe June. You've done so much for me and I vowed that I would do everything I could for you in return."

June sighed. When it had come to the trial of the Malfoy's, she had stood as witness and made sure they only got off with a warning – except Lucius. He had been sentenced to life in Azkaban for he hadn't helped the Light to win the war as Draco and Narcissa. It was the least she could do to repay them for what they had done, not only for her, but for the whole of Wizarding England.

"I will be safe Draco. I'll be fine, and you have nothing to repay me for. What I did for your family was common courtesy. Besides we're family."

Draco scowled, somehow managing to still look indeniably pristine.

Narcissa's father, Cygnus Black lll, was the nephew of June's grandmother, Dorea Potter (nee Black), making Narcissa her cousin, and Draco her nephew, a fact that she enjoyed reminding him of, no matter how distant.

"I'm still older than you, so you don't really have any authority over me" Draco retorted huffily, pushing his chest out and looking a disturbingly like the peacocks that strutted round the grounds of Malfoy Manor.

"If you say so!"

The next day everything was in place and it was the morning of June's 18th birthday. The Ministry seemed to have taken it upon themselves to host a ball for this event and had invited all of the ministry workers and prominent 'Light' families, the Weasleys included. A few years ago June would have been thrilled at this, having had a close friendship with them. It was them who had first introduced the concept of a family to her. No matter the lack of money, their home was always exactly that. A home. Not just another empty house, kept clean only for the sake of what the neighbours would think. This 'friendship' quickly deteriorated however, when June heard Ron and Ginny discussing with their mother about how they were worried that she was going 'dark'. After all, why else would she help the Malfoys? They were obviously plotting together. After an extremely loud confrontation that could contest with Mrs Blacks screaming due to the level of noise, June had halted all contact with the Weasleys; the only Weasleys she still had contact with were Fred, Bill and Charlie. They were some of her only friends left. She would have wanted to stay in contact with Arthur, her first father figure, but she knew he cared too much for Molly to ever go against her.

After taking a break from the Weasleys, she finally realised how bigoted they really were. Anything they didn't like or approve of was immediately classified as dark. She could harm somebody just as easily by levitating a heavy object (as proved by the troll in first year) as she could by firing a killing curse at them. It was all about intent. Magic was this pure beautiful force, entity that filled her up and caressed her with its power. It was capable of anything, it could make people do terrible things against their will, it could reduce a once strong man into a mere husk of its former self, and it could kill with two words. Two terrible words. Avada Kedavra.

June stretched in her bed, almost catlike in her movements, and allowed herself a small smile. Today it was all going to change. Jumping off her bed she jumped into the shower.

As the warm water washed over her and relaxed her muscles, she let out a sigh. But a frown quickly worked it's way onto her face. What is this was a mistake? What if she couldn't change anything? What if she only made things worse? What if she ruined everything? She seemed to have a knack for that, after all she was nothing...

"_**GIRL! Where's my coffee?!" a man yelled at what seemed to be a 6 year old girl wearing rags.**_

"_**I-I'm s-sorry Uncle V-v-vernon" the girl whispered, her delicate features marred by fear.**_

"_**You better be you little freak! We take you in out of the kindness of our hearts and this is how you repay us?! You need to start earning your keep girl! Mark your words you'll turn out jut like your good for nothing parents. You are nothing. Do you understand?"**_

"_**Yes Uncle Vernon it won't happen again" The girl said, nodding her head frantically.**_

_**The girl, who was named June, quickly fetched her uncle the coffee and ran into her cupboard. The darkness comforted her, for it had always been her companion, the only thing she could trust wouldn't go away. She quickly went over to her mattress and sat down, before lifting loose a floorboard and lifting out a book, which had been given to her by the kind librarian Mrs Peters. It was about a girl who lived in a dark and dreary orphanage, who grew up all alone, bullied, with no friends. But one day, her parents finally came back to her and she was whisked away to a mansion surrounded by happiness and laughter.**_

_**The young June smiled and hugged the book closer to her chest. One day **_**her** _**parents would come and take her away from her cruel relatives. But they never did.**_

June flinched at the memory before taking a deep breath. She had proved that she wasn't nothing. She was something. She was somebody. And she was a somebody who would take on any challenge the world had to offer.

After getting out of the shower, June rummaged through her wardrobe hurriedly and put on a forest green dress that complemented her almond eyes perfectly. The dress, like most of her new 'Ministry Approved' wardrobe, was custom made to the finest standard. It was made of lace with cap sleeves and went down to the knee. Over that she threw on a black cloak which was embellished with intricate silver patterns that were almost rune-like in shape. Since the war was over, the Ministry had decided she was the national mascot, meaning she had to have a wardrobe that was befitting of Magical Britain's standards. With what she had seen of Magical Britain, June thought she could easily get away with a sack. With another look at her watch, June shouted out a choice curse word that was extremely unladylike and ran out of the room, loose jet black waves flying behind her.

"Dobby!"

With a crack, Dobby appeared wearing a bright yellow sock on one foot and a lime green one on the other. To go along with that, he was also sporting a magenta hat with two holes for his ears.

"You is calling for Dobby Juniper Potter?"

Yes Dobby could you bring me my trunk please?"

"Of course miss! I is doing it in a jiffy!"

Shaking her head at the elf's antics, June was startled when the elf appeared a few seconds later with a familiar trunk in tow.

"Thank you Dobby; that will be all"

With a deep bow, Dobby disappeared with another resounding crack.

June walked to her trunk and looked with a wave of nostalgia upon the _L.R.E_ engraved on the top, and smaller in the corner _James' flower. _The trunk had originally  
been her mother's but she had found it in the Potter vault and immediately discarded her old trunk in favour of this one. She had always wished for something of her mother's. She had her father's cloak but not a single thing belonging to her mother. But now she did. June slid her wand out of its holster, which was strapped to her right forearm, and shrank the trunk, before depositing it in her cloak pocket. 

Then, with shaking hands she took a time turner out of her pocket. But this was no ordinary time turner. For this time turner, instead of going back hours, went back years. Five years for every turn. June had found it in the Black vault and decided it was the answer to everything, with it, her life would be in her own hands. Not the wrinkled hands of some old man who though he knew best. Her own. Now she was going to finally write her own destiny. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to calm my nerves. 'I have to do this. I will do this.' With that new mantra chanting in my head, I turned the time turner back 11 times. 55 years backwards. To 1945. To the time of Tom Riddle, before he became a monster, when he was just a lost soul trying to find his way in a cruel world.

All of a sudden June felt herself spinning around and being pulled backward. All she could see were blurs of red, gold, silver and green. As suddenly as the sensation began, it stopped. Before she knew it June was falling. Luckily for her she landed on something soft and... strangely warm. "As attractive as I may be, would you mind getting off me miss?" a deep voice interrupted June's musings concerning what strange object she was currently sprawled across. In that moment everything came into perspective. Oh. No wonder it was warm. June's last thought was 'oh shit' before the world faded into darkness. When her eyelids fell closed there was a pair of charcoal green eyes etched into her mind.


	2. Chapter 2:Twinkly Eyes and Bloody Riddle

**Chapter 2: Twinkly Eyes and Bloody Riddles**

When I finally came to, I instantly recognised the white cotton sheets of the bed I inhabited. I had slept on these very same sheets far too many times, and I had promised myself I would keep myself out them. But here I was, yet again, in the Hospital Wing. I was so caught up in chastising myself for ending up here; I hardly registered the man sitting right next to my bed. Albus too many fricking names Dumbledore. His waist length silver hair was auburn now, and it came to just below his shoulders. He still had those same half-moon glasses and those same twinkly blue eyes behind them. I had my suspicions that he laced his lemon drops with pixie dust to get that twinkle. Even now I could see the cogs whirring in his mind, calculating what use I could be of to him and formulating plans to manipulate me into his pawn. If only he knew life wasn't a giant game of chess. Let's just hope my cover story works.

"Ah finally awake I see, I am Professor Dumbledore. You must be Miss...?" he trailed of there, a silent question in his voice.

"Miss Peverell, sir, and I definitely know who you are", I replied, putting just the right amount of awe into my voice and inwardly smirking when his eyes widened in shock and recognition.

"Are you sure my dear? The Peverell line has sadly died out. The last Peverell was Ophelia Peverell and she bore no children", he informed me, attempting to sound upset.

"But she did, sir. She had my mother, but left her in an orphanage when Grindelwald started gaining power. My mother was raised in America and she discovered her heritage when she attended Salem's Institute for Witches. She met my father, got married and had me but then my father was killed by Grindelwald. My mother died soon after", I choked on a sob "and because she never told me who my father was - she was too heartbroken to talk about him you see - I took her maiden name instead. I was raised by a wizarding family who found me wondering through Chudley Alley. They raised me and schooled me but then one day when I came home, they - they were - they were dead!" I let a few tears slide down my face.

"Why did you come here then, why not go somewhere familiar to you?" Dumbledore inquired.

"Well I knew it had to be Grindelwald who did this - who else would do something that horrific? So I packed my things and apparated to Hogsmeade. I knew Grindelwald wouldn't try to hurt me there because it was too close to Hogwarts, were you are. You're the only who Grindelwald fears Professor Dumbledore, and the only one who can help me", I let a few more tear slip down my cheeks before wiping them away.

"Very well, my dear. I shall see Headmaster Dippet about allowing you to attend Hogwarts. You will be in your 7th year, correct?"

"Yes sir.

"Very well. Get some rest. I shall be seeing you again soon Miss Peverell"

"Sir, may I ask who it was that I fell onto when I apparated?"

"Yes, that was Mr Riddle. He's the Head Boy here at Hogwarts. It was nice of him to bring you here", and that he left. But even with those words I noticed how Dumbledore's eyes darkened at Tom's name, probably because he was too intelligent to fall for his manipulations.

The next day I was sitting in a rather comfy leather chair in the headmaster's office, just about to be sorted. The headmaster was an old, balding man who was in my opinion extremely ignorant.

"Now the sorting is nothing to worry about Miss Peverell, you will just need to put on the sorting hat and it will sort you into one of four houses. Gryffindor, the brave, Ravenclaw, the intelligent, Hufflepuff, the hard-working and Slytherin, the cunning. Go on then, no need to be shy! Try it on!" the headmaster urged, much too enthusiastically.  
Mentally sighing at the bumbling old man's antics, I picked up the sorting hat and placed it on my head.

_**Aha what do we have here? A time traveller eh?**_

_Yes, now will you sort me already?!_

_**You're a feisty one. Brave enough for Gryffindor but a sense of self-preservation that those lions don't have. Definitely not Hufflepuff! Whilst you're loyal to your friends, there a darkness in you that won't do well in Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw maybe? There's plenty of intelligence in that pretty little head of yours but you don't thirst for knowledge like that house. And ooh what's this I see -**_

_You're enjoying this aren't you?_

_**Yes I am, you're the most interesting mind I've had in centuries. Now where was I? Oh yes, there's a deep desire for revenge on those who have wronged you, and you're a master manipulator. You would thrive in**____**SLYTHERIN!**____**Maybe you'll even find a certain Riddle you like there**_

And with that last statement, the Sorting Hat was whipped off my head. Headmaster Dippet looked pleased at my sorting, whilst Dumbledore stood in the corner looking absolutely horrified.

"Well then I'll just send up Mr Riddle to show you to the common room. Such a fine boy, young Riddle", the headmaster said. After a few minutes of Dippet singing Tom's praises, and me speculating as to why the Sorting Hat wanted to play match maker, the door finally opened to reveal Tom Riddle.

He was incredibly handsome, with a sort of regal elegance about him. His hair was dark and wavy, curling slightly at the ends. His eyes were a charcoal green and held sharp intelligence. His beauty had darkness to it though; there was something about him that told you he was dangerous.

"Mr Riddle I'd like to introduce you to Miss Peverell, she will be Slytherin House, please show her to the common room"  
And with that I was pushed outside and left in the clutches of Tom Riddle, who was assessing me with those sharp eyes of his.

"So, what it is like here at Hogwarts?" I attempted to make conversation.

"It's fine", was Tom's short reply. He suddenly started walking briskly in what I recognised as the direction to the Slytherin common room. I hurried to keep up with his punishing pace.

"Mr Riddle, would you mind going a little slower, I don't want to overexert myself after just coming out of the Hospital Wing. I do apologize for falling on top of you by the way"

"It's quite alright Miss Peverell", Tom replied as we came to a stop in front of the entrance to the common room. "Salazar", Tom said clearly, before proceeding to walk through the wall. I followed his lead and entered the Snake Pit.


	3. Chapter 3:Snakes and Irritating Italians

**Chapter 3: Snakes and Irritating Italians**

The Slytherin common room was exactly as I remembered. The whole room had an eerie green glow to it, and there were green and silver drapings everywhere. The furniture was all black and reminded me a lot of the Slytherins; dark and elegant. I was still looking around when Riddle spoke.

"This will be your common room; the girls' dormitories are located on the right and the boys on the left. Students of the opposite gender will not be permitted to go into each other's dormitories. Any questions?"

"Yes. Where will I get my school supplies?"

"Due to your... special circumstances your books have been provided for you by Professor Dumbledore. Now if that is all, I suggest you retire for the night. It will be a busy day tomorrow"

"Very well Mister Riddle. Good night"

Without another word, Riddle gave me a sharp nod and quickly walked away. I gave a small yawn and realised Tom was right, so I made my way up to the girls dormitories. I found me name on one of the doors and slowly opened the door. There were three girls currently in the room. The first had deep brown hair and kind looking hazel eyes. Her hair was cut short in a bob and her skin was lightly tanned. She was sitting on what I assumed was her bed, reading a rather large book.  
The second girl had pale blond hair that reminded me vaguely of Draco Malfoy and ice blue eyes, and was sitting facing the first girl, talking her ear off about random topics. She had very aristocratic features, pale skin and seemed bubbly and full of life.

The third girl was sitting in front of a dresser brushing out her long deep black hair. She had light green eyes and delicate elfin features. She seemed small and petite, like a pixie and had flawless olive skin.

I took a deep breath and walked into the room. Upon my entrance, the pixie scowled.

"What are _you_ doing in here?" she spat at me.

"Unless I was wrongly informed, this is my new dormitory", I told her, looking at her coolly.

"That's impossible! I am Isabella Zabini the sole heiress of the Most Noble House of Zabini, and I demand that you be removed from here at once!" Isabella, as I now knew she was called, was standing by now and even threw in a little stomp of her foot at the end. The other two girls were watching now to and were biting their lips in anticipation and worry of what was going to happen. Overall they seemed pretty used to Zabini's behaviour, but I wasn't. And I sure as hell was NOT going to stand for a little diva pushing me around.

"If you are quite done with your temper tantrum, would you mind letting me get to bed" I told her calmly, whilst examining my manicured nails. She let out some semblance of a frustrated squeal, and stormed to bed. Now that's how you deal with over dramatic princesses.

I gave myself a smile and walked into the adjoined bathroom to wash up. I had packed some shampoos and shower gels in my trunk so I took it out of my pocket and unshrunk it, taking out the necessary things that I would need. I had a quick shower, dried my hair with a quick spell and got dressed in the pyjamas I had laid out for myself. I braided my hair into two braids coming over my shoulders and looked in the mirror. Once satisfied with my appearance, I left the bathroom to find Isabella's bed's curtains drawn. Deciding she was probably asleep, I tried making conversation with the other two girls.

"So what are your names?" I asked walking to and sitting on my newly conjured bed.

"Stephanie Davis", the brown haired one answered first.

"And I'm Avalon Malfoy! Who are you?" said the newly named Avalon. _I knew the blond hair reminded me of Draco, _I thought to myself.

"I'm Juniper Peverell", I answered smoothly. Both girls looked absolutely shocked at my words. Probably because the Peverells are known to be one of the most powerful wizarding families in the world coming second only to the Emrys'. Way more powerful than their families and definitely more powerful than pixie - oops - _Isabella's_ family. "And before you ask the Peverell line is not extinct. There has just been some confusion over the matter. Now if you'll excuse me, I should get some rest." And with that I left and went to sleep, my last thought being: _Italians__ are irritating._


	4. Chapter 4:The Slug Club and Master Plans

**Chapter 4: The Slug Club and Master Plans**

I awoke in a tangle of dark sheets. I had a moment of panic before remembering where I was, and smirking to myself. This was going to be so much fun. Checking the time by muttering a quick "tempus", I saw that it was 7 O'clock. Time to get ready. With my dorm mates still asleep I could use the shower for as long as I wanted and not worry about any whining. Good thing because I didn't think I could ever deal with pixie this early in the morning, or without coffee, or at all. Getting up, I had a long, hot shower and dried my hair before getting changed into my Hogwarts uniform. It was different to what it was like in the future, more modest. After getting dressed, I did some simple beauty charms, lining my eyes, elongating my eyelashes, and highlighting my cheekbones. Then I stained my lips red and with a wave of my wand, transformed my raven locks into ocean waves.

Once I was done, it was only 7:45, so I sat on my bed with a book and waited for my dorm mates to wake up. Five minutes later, they did, and I realised I shouldn't have waited for them at all.

"Where is my skirt?!" Pixie screeched for the third time.

"None of us know Zabini so would you mind shutting your mouth?!" I snapped, finally losing it. You can only listen to her voice for so long before it gets to you.

"Nobody asked you New Girl", she sneered at the last part as if it were a disgusting phrase. "Who are you anyway? Probably a filthy mudblood!"

That did it.

"Actually Zabini", I spat "I happen to be a pureblood, and my blood is much purer than yours. I am Juniper Peverell, The last of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Peverell. I happen to hold a lot of sway over the Ministry, Zabini. Insult me again and it will be the end of you." I finished with a well-practised glare.

Stephanie and Avalon, now completely ready watched in amusement as I stood fuming over a cowering Zabini, who was attempting to stammer out apologies.

"Save it Zabini" I told her, rolling my eyes. And with a dramatic swoosh of my cloak; I left with my robes billowing out behind me in a way that would make Snape proud. Just as I exited the common room, Avalon and Stephanie caught up to me.

"That was quite impressive, what you did to Zabini. I don't think I've ever seen her that scared since... well ever!" chirped Avalon, bouncing along beside me. She was so bubbly and fun that I had no idea how she was related to Draco, apart from their love of their hair.

"Well she did deserve it! So, anything I should know about this place", that on seemingly harmless sentence sent Avalon into a gossip frenzy. God help me.

When we finally reached the Great Hall I knew all about the biggest breakups, exactly who was courting who and who were the most eligible guys in our year. As we walked through the huge floor - to - ceiling doors, everybody in the Great Hall turned to look at us - namely me. Mustering up my Gryffindor courage, I held my head high and walked to the Slytherin Table with confidence. Sitting down next to a boy with the same white blonde hair as Avalon - I was guessing that was Abraxas - I picked up my cutlery and began eating.

"Who may this beautiful young lady be?" I looked up to see Abraxas smiling at me. He had the same aristocratic facial features as his sister but unlike her ice blue eyes, his were a silver grey.

"Leave her alone Abraxas. The poor girl just arrived!" Avalon chided.

"Well then, would you care to accompany me on a tour around the castle later?" said Abraxas with a smug smirk, as if certain I would consent.

"I apologize but -"

"-as Head Boy I think that task falls in with my duties" Out popped Riddle out of nowhere.

"Miss Peverell here is your schedule. We have all the same classes so I will show you to each one. If you'll follow me" Without warning he left, probably expecting me to follow. Picking up my bag, I turned to my new found friends.

"Well, I will see you later" I told them and hurried off, wondering how I yet again ended up scampering after Riddle.  
Recognizing that we were heading to the dungeons, I checked my schedule for confirmation. Yup. Potions with Slughorn. Yay! (Note the sarcasm) In my opinion, Slughorn was no better than Dumbledore, collecting those he deemed valuable and discarding the rest like old forgotten socks. As a Peverell, he was definitely going to try to collect me but as a Slytherin, I was going to use that to my advantage. At least I had a free period after dealing with him.

When we finally reached the Potions classroom Professor Slughorn was already inside, presumably setting up for his first lesson. When he noticed Riddle and I he immediately started beaming.

"Ah Riddle my boy how are you and who's this?" he asked, his eyes drifting to me.

"Sir, this is Juniper Peverell. She's the new student." Riddle replied.

"Ah yes. Professor Dumbledore told me what happened to your parents. I'm truly sorry" Slughorn said. I let my eyes well up with tears.

"Thank you for your consolations Professor" I said sniffling.

"Now why don't you two come in and take a seat. Class will begin soon."

He was right, because just as I had settled into a seat near the front, the rest of the class began filing in. Potions was one of the lessons we had with Gryffindors, so it was no surprise that most of us were glaring at each other.

"Well class, welcome back to another year at Hogwarts. I decided to start the year with a bit of a challenge. Today you will be brewing The Draught of Living Death. The person who brews the best draught will receive this!" He held up a tiny bottle full of a golden liquid I immediately recognized. "This is Felix Felicis more commonly known as Liquid luck" Slughorn carried on, knowing he had the class hooked "Extremely difficult potion to make, disastrous if it goes wrong, but if brewed correctly it will give the drinker, 24 hours of luck. Now get to it! You have an hour and a half."

Everyone hurried to get to the potions store, Riddle in particular was looking particularly determined. Probably needed some luck to come up with more plans for world domination. I waited until everyone else was gone so they wouldn't see me getting slightly more or less of certain ingredients. Once I got back to my table I got started, completely disregarding the instructions in front of me and focusing on what I had learned from the Half-Blood Prince.

At the end of the lesson, Professor Slughorn went around examining the draughts. To be honest nobody had managed to get theirs perfect, although Riddle came quite close. Well, better than Avalon's, which greatly resembled slime. When Slughorn came to mine his eyes were shining.

"A perfect potion!" he exclaimed, "You deserve this" and he handed me the Felix Felicis. At the end of the lesson, just as I was about to leave, Slughorn pulled me aside and told me "Miss Peverell I have a little club with a group of talented students just like you. Its nothing major, we just have dinner a few times a month and I would love it if you joined"

"Of course sir I'd love to" Turning around, I left so he wouldn't see my smirk. Typical Sluggy. I walked off from Sluggy's class and looked down at my feet, wondering how I ended up here, it still seemed surreal. _To prevent another war, _I told myself firmly. Not to mention it was interesting seeing people's ancestors and how similar they were. Except for Avalon and Draco; Avalon was full of life whereas Draco was rather... broody.

Deciding to spend my free period studying for a while, I walked slowly towards the Slytherin common room, lost in thought and never taking my eyes off the ground. As I was walking, all of a sudden I flew into something warm. "Argh!" I heard, and it took me a moment before I realized that the voice was mine.

_How did I fall?_ I asked myself. The floor was flat. For the second time, I realised I had fallen on top of somebody.  
"A bit clumsy there?" A deep, mischievous sounding male voice asks, from under me. I quickly get off of him and glance up at him embarrassedly.

"Sorry," I apologized, but at the same time, I noted down his appearance. Black, uncontrollably messy hair, hazel eyes, and bad eyesight, judging by his glasses. _I think I just met another Potter._

He looked taken aback for a second; probably at the thought of a Slytherin apologizing and I realized he was wearing a red and golden scarf.

"It - it's okay," he said stuttering, still looking thoroughly confused. He wasn't being rude to me even though I was supposed to be his enemy. I help him up. "My name is Charlus," he said.

"I am Juniper," I said in reply.

"That is quite an odd name," he said tentatively, as if expecting me to strike at any second and looking at me with bright hazel eyes. The same colour as my father's eyes, before the light died out from them.

"What is your last name, Charlus," I asked, even though I was sure that he was my grandfather.

"I don't see why you need to know that" he told me rather coldly, and his smile faded. _Great. Now he probably thinks I'm one of those "Pure blood" racists. _I nodded my head, and descended down the stairway, proceeding on my journey towards the dungeons.

As I entered the Common Room, I could feel everybody's gaze on me. Word probably got around about my heritage. Holding my head high, I flounced up to my dormitory, with all the pure blood elegance expected of me. The dormitory was deserted so I picked up my books and headed back down. My eyes surveyed the room until a found a familiar head of white-blond hair.

"Abraxas," I said, coming up behind him. He, for reasons completely beyond me, was sitting with Pixie.

"Juniper!" Abraxas exclaimed, looking relieved. I realised it probably wasn't his choice to sit with Zabini. "Would you like your tour of the school now? Or maybe your bodyguard won't let that happen." Abraxas asked cheekily.

I rolled my eyes. "What bodyguard Abraxas?"

"Why your dear friend Riddle of course! Who else?" Abraxas replied, attempting to sound innocent, although he was betrayed by the devilish grin on his face. I was saved from answering as Pixie decided to but in.

"Abraxas and I were actually going to study _together_. Maybe somebody else can show you around?" she said in clear dismissal, narrowing her light green eyes. Abraxas looked at me pleadingly.

"Well if that's the case, I'm sure I can find another tour guide. Have fun Abraxas, _Zabini" _

_That's what you get for teasing me Abraxas. _I thought to myself finding another empty seat in the Common Room. I ended up on a seat in the corner where I could study without being disturbed. Except it was uncomfortably close to where Riddle was sitting, furiously scribbling on a piece of parchment, although I was sure if I looked at it the handwriting would still be infuriatingly neat. Oh well. It wasn't like there was anywhere else I could sit, so I sat down and delved into a book on astronomy.

**Riddle P.O.V**

I sighed in annoyance as some nameless first year told me the Headmaster needed to see me. Whilst he was easy to fool and even easier to manipulate, it annoyed me to no end that he constantly "needed" to see me. Especially when I had finally perfected my plan. Almost everything was in place and I was going to make them sorry. The first to go would be my stupid muggle father and then I would exterminate the rest of that filth from the earth. That's exactly what they were: filth. Forever growing and breeding, and when they were faced with something they didn't understand, attacking. They were savage and I would destroy them.

I gave the first year a deadly glare, seeing as he still hadn't left, and walked up to the Headmaster's office. Before I entered, I plastered an unemotional look on my face, leaving no trace of my earlier annoyance.

As I entered I noticed the girl standing in the middle of the room, the same girl who had fallen on top of me a few days ago. I surveyed her, having not had a good look at her when they first met. She was beautiful, definitely, with raven locks and the most peculiar jade green eyes. Her feature were aristocratic and regal, a pureblood perhaps? If so she would be a good ally to have, I could feel the magic in her; it was potent and enticingly dark. Whoever she was, she definitely had some practise in dark magic. Definitely a good ally.

"Mr Riddle I'd like to introduce you to Miss Juniper Peverell, she will be Slytherin House, please show her to the common room" Dippet told me, gently pushing the girl out of his office and closing the door behind her. I stared at her for a moment, assessing her and trying not to show my surprise at her surname. The Peverells were an extremely powerful family, dating back even to Merlin himself, he definitely needed to get this girl on his side.

"So, what it is like here at Hogwarts?" she asked at an obvious attempt to start a conversation.

"It's fine" I answered. With that, I started making my way to the Common Room, knowing that she would follow. After a while Juniper spoke.

"Mr Riddle, would you mind going a little slower, I don't want to overexert myself after just coming out of the Hospital Wing. I do apologize for falling on top of you by the way"

"It's quite alright Miss Peverell", I replied as we came to a stop in front of the entrance to the common room. "Salazar", I said clearly, before proceeding to walk through the wall, with Juniper in tow.

I could see the wonder and appreciation of the fine architecture in Juniper's eyes, but also something else, nostalgia? Why would she be feeling nostalgic about a place she's never seen before? I_t must remind her of somewhere_, I decided. I gave her a moment before informing her of what she would need to know.

"This will be your common room; the girls' dormitories are located on the right and the boys on the left. Students of the opposite gender will not be permitted to go into each other's dormitories. Any questions?"

"Yes. Where will I get my school supplies?" Juniper asked, and I had to admire her detail to attention. Most people would have gone straight to bed

"Due to your... special circumstances your books have been provided for you by Professor Dumbledore. Now if that is all, I suggest you retire for the night. It will be a busy day tomorrow" I said

"Very well Mister Riddle. Good night"

Without another word, I gave her a sharp nod and quickly walked away to my dorm, where my dreams were plagued with images of the burning bodies of my fellow orphans as the bleak, grey orphanage burnt down. A high-pitched, cold laugh echoed throughout the street, which I suddenly realized was mine. A feral grin slid onto my face, for the first time in my life I felt truly happy.

The next morning passed by without anything out of the ordinary. As I entered the Great Hall, I spotted Juniper, sitting with the Malfoys. As I had to escort her to her lesson and give her a schedule, I made my way over to where they were sitting.

I arrived in time to hear Abraxas say to Juniper "Well then, would you care to accompany me on a tour around the castle later?" with a smug smirk, as if certain she would consent.

"I apologize but -"

"-as Head Boy I think that task falls in with my duties", I stated, making my presence known. "Miss Peverell here is your schedule. We have all the same classes so I will show you to each one. If you'll follow me"

I left and made my way to the Potions classroom with Juniper behind me. As we reached the Potions classroom Professor Slughorn was already inside, presumably setting up for his first lesson. When he noticed Juniper and I he immediately started beaming.

"Ah Riddle my boy how are you and who's this?" he asked me eagerly, his eyes drifting to Juniper, beside me.

"Sir, this is Juniper Peverell. She's the new student." I replied politely.

"Ah yes. Professor Dumbledore told me what happened to your parents. I'm truly sorry" Slughorn said, not looking sorry at all. In fact he looked rather excited. Juniper's eyes welled up with tears. But I could tell the tears were fake. I inwardly laughed to myself; no wonder she was a Slytherin.

"Thank you for your consolations Professor" she said sniffling.

"Now why don't you two come in and take a seat. Class will begin soon." Slughorn told us, and I took my usual seat in the back whilst Juniper opted for sitting in the middle of the classroom. Just at that moment, the class began to fill up. Unfortunately, Potions, along with Defence Against the Dark Arts, was one of the classes we shared with Gryffindors, and of course those self-righteous lions pranced in like they were superior. They called themselves brave and courageous when they were nothing but impulsive idiots with no self-preservation.

When everybody was here, Slughorn began the lesson.

"Well class, welcome back to another year at Hogwarts. I decided to start the year with a bit of a challenge. Today you will be brewing The Draught of Living Death. The person who brews the best draught will receive this!" He held up a tiny bottle full of a golden liquid I immediately recognized. "This is Felix Felicis more commonly known as Liquid luck" Slughorn carried on, knowing he had the class hooked "Extremely difficult potion to make, disastrous if it goes wrong, but if brewed correctly it will give the drinker, 24 hours of luck. Now get to it! You have an hour and a half."

Everyone hurried to get to the potions store, including me. I was determined to win that bottle. It would make my plan so much easier. I noticed that Juniper waited until everyone else was gone to collect her ingredients but I shrugged it off. Once I got back to my table I got started, following the instructions to every last detail.

At the end of the lesson, Professor Slughorn went around examining the draughts. I glanced around to see if anybody managed it and nobody did, in fact Avalon's resembled green slime. Mine was slightly off colour but hopefully it was enough to win the Felix Felicis. But my hopes shattered when Slughorn regarded Juniper's potion with shining eyes.

"A perfect potion!" he exclaimed, "You deserve this" and he handed her the Felix Felicis. Whilst my expression remained blank, I was fuming inside. How could a girl, who has barely been here for a day beat me and humiliate me like that?! Peverell might make a good ally but I would still see her as my enemy

At the end of the lesson, just as I exited the classroom and was about to leave, I saw Slughorn pull Juniper aside and tell her, "Miss Peverell I have a little club with a group of talented students just like you. It's nothing major, we just have dinner a few times a month and I would love it if you joined"

"Of course sir I'd love to" Juniper said and she turned around, and left presumably so he wouldn't see the smirk that was sliding onto her face. But I did. She seemed almost... satisfied. There was definitely more to her than I originally thought and I was going to find out everything, even if I had to torture the information out of someone.

Noticing Juniper walking further down the corridor, I followed her, making sure to keep a considerable distance between us. She seemed lost in thought and her eyes were downcast, she must have been thinking about something rather pressing a she didn't notice that she was about to walk into a Gryffindor boy. She fell into him and stood up quickly offering an apology, which left me disgusted. How dare she apologize to a _Gryffindor_?! When she was sorted into Slytherin, it became her duty to uphold our house's loyalty. By this time I was furious, so I left and took a shortcut to the Common Room.

About ten minutes later, Juniper finally came in and everyone turned to stare at her like gormless idiots, which was not befitting of Pureblood etiquette. She simply held her head high and walked in with all the regal elegance of a queen. She disappeared into the girls dorms and emerged again a few minutes later. I watched her exchange a few words with Abraxas and that irritating Zabini girl before glancing around, presumably for a place to sit. She settled on an armchair quite close to where I was sitting, so I could easily watch her from the corner of my eye. I would make her my ally and she would help me cleanse the world of muggle filth. It was all part of my master plan.


End file.
